


Not the Advertised Effects

by 100SleeplessNights



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Couch Cuddles, Creature Fic, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insecurity, M/M, Moving In Together, Mutual Support, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Post-Canon, Post-War, Potions Accident, Were-Creatures, i guess, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 09:57:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20794766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100SleeplessNights/pseuds/100SleeplessNights
Summary: There's something Draco needs to tell Harry before they can move in together.





	Not the Advertised Effects

**Author's Note:**

> I have a feeling this might be borderline-crack but whatever. I had fun writing it. I hope you have fun too.

“Draco, do you want to move in with me?” It was an innocent enough question, reasonable, too, Harry felt. They’d been together for more than half a year already after all, and Draco spent more time at Harry’s flat than at his own these days. But Draco froze and stared at Harry like a deer caught in the headlights.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Harry hurried to say. “I just… I want to wake up next to you every morning and come home to you after work and just be around you as much as I can every day.”

Harry watched with trepidation as Draco swallowed. This was it. Harry had finally reached the limit of Draco’s tolerance for his clinginess and Draco would now give him an ultimatum.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

Harry’s thought spiral halted abruptly. That didn’t sound like an ultimatum. But what if it was and Draco just wanted to break it to him gently? Before Harry could wonder – or rather, worry – further, Draco continued.

“I should have told you much earlier, I know. It isn’t even that I’m scared of your reaction but it’s… embarrassing. I think I just hoped it would never come up, which I know is stupid since it’s a regular occurrence but…”

“Draco,” Harry interrupted him. “What do you need to tell me?”

Draco sighed. “I… during the war Voldemort gave me an experimental potion that he was told would turn me into a werewolf.”

Harry was surprised and then a little confused. “Well, apparently it didn’t, I’ve been around you enough to know you don’t turn into a wolf every full moon. So, what did the potion do?”

“I’m… something similar. If you come over tomorrow night you can see for yourself.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked because Draco looked like he very much wasn’t. “I don’t want to pressure you to share it with me. It’s okay if you’re not ready for that, yet.”

Draco’s hands started fidgeting. “I… don’t know if I’ll ever be completely ready for it but… I want to move in with you and you should know before that.”

“Okay. Is it important that it’s tomorrow or could it wait another month or two, so you can get more comfortable with the idea of sharing it with me?”

“I’d rather do it tomorrow,” Draco said decisively. “That gives me less opportunity to change my mind.”

“Okay. Of course. That makes sense.” Harry reached over and squeezed Draco’s hand once. “When should I come over, then?”

“Before the moon rises, so around six? That way we can have dinner together first.”

“I’ll be there,” Harry promised and squeezed Draco’s hand again before he continued eating.

The next day, Harry flooed to Draco’s place a little after six.

“Draco?” he called out. He had barely taken five steps when Draco collided with him and tightly wrapped his arms around him.

“Hey, it’s good to see you,” Harry said and returned the hug.

“Hey,” Draco said, his voice muffled since he had buried his head in Harry’s neck. “The symptoms are already starting to show it seems.”

“You get… clingy?” Harry asked. When Draco just nodded with his head still pressed against Harry’s neck, Harry laughed.

Draco pulled away. “What?” He looked annoyed and a little… hurt.

“I’m not laughing about you,” Harry hurried to reassure him. “It’s just… yesterday I was worried you’d give me an ultimatum or break up with me because I was too clingy for you and now…”

To Harry’s relief his explanation made Draco relax again. “That _is_ a little funny,” he even admitted. “But I need you to know that I wouldn’t break up with you no matter how clingy you get, even if this didn’t happen to me every month. I love how clingy and openly affectionate you are.”

Harry sighed. “I should know that by now, but there’s this voice in my head trying to convince me the next bit of affection I give you will be too much. So, thank you for telling me, it reassures me a lot.”

“Of course,” Draco said and tightened their hug even further for a second. “When you struggle with something like that again, please tell me so I can reassure you sooner.”

Harry nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good. That’s all I can ask for. Now, I think I said something about having dinner together yesterday, should we do that now?”

Harry smiled. It was impressive, though sometimes a little worrying, how fast and completely unsubtly Draco could move the conversation away from emotional topics. “Yes, let’s do that.”

Aside from Draco’s ongoing clinginess nothing had changed by the time they were done with dinner, at least not as far as Harry could tell. But since Draco’s change seemed to be similar to that of a werewolf, the brunt of the symptoms would most likely only show once the moon was rising. Since it was a new moon night that would probably mean Draco’s changes would announce the risen moon and not the other way around which wasn’t ideal but couldn’t be helped. Harry trusted Draco to tell him if he needed to take any precautions.

“Can we cuddle on the couch?” Draco asked when they were done cleaning the dishes. “I want to be as comfortable as possible when it starts.” That was an unexpected precaution, but Harry would take it.

“Of course,” he said. He loved cuddling with Draco. It used to be the only time Draco let all of his numerous masks fall and even though Draco was mostly past wanting to hide any part of himself from him now, he was still much softer when it was just the two of them curled up on a couch with a blanket.

While Draco got blankets, Harry made them a pot of tea before they settled down on the couch with the blankets wrapped around them and their teacups in hand.

“Are you comfortable?” Harry asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Draco nuzzled Harry’s neck.

“Will I notice the change when it happens?”

Draco barked out a laugh. “I think the only way you wouldn’t notice is if you couldn’t rely on any of your senses.”

Harry chuckled. “Okay, well, in that case even _I_ will notice the difference I guess.”

“You better.”

Harry pressed a kiss to Draco’s forehead. “I love you.” Draco noticeably relaxed at that.

“I love you, too, you big sap.”

It had been about an hour since the sun had disappeared behind the horizon when the change happened. It took only about a minute for Draco’s human body to change into that of a wolf. It looked painful but Draco didn’t make any sound. When Draco’s wolf body had settled into Harry’s embrace again, Harry chuckled because Draco had been right; it would have been near impossible to miss the change. What hadn’t changed though was Draco’s clinginess. Harry couldn’t say that he minded that, it was a lot more comfortable than the aggression werewolves were known for.

“I’m very glad that weird potion didn’t have the advertised effects.” Harry said as he gently petted Draco’s fur.

Draco’s grumble sounded very much like agreement.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments keep me motivated.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [@asexual-lovegood](http://asexual-lovegood.tumblr.com/)


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